Mortal Kombat 1 Beta Announced

NetherRealm Studios and WB Games have confirmed that a beta for Mortal Kombat 1 will be taking place prior to the game's launch this fall. After months of rumors and reports, Mortal Kombat 1 was properly unveiled this morning alongside a release date slated for September. And even though we have yet to see actual gameplay from MK1, fans can now begin to prepare for their first chance to play the title in just a few short months. 

Detailed on the official Mortal Kombat website, NetherRealm Studios revealed that a beta for Mortal Kombat 1 will be transpiring roughly one month before launch in August 2023. This beta will only be open to those who pre-order the game, which isn't that surprising. Currently, pre-orders for Mortal Kombat 1 are planned to go live within the coming day on May 19. In addition to getting beta access, those who pre-purchase MK1 will also obtain Shang Tsung as an exclusive character. 

Perhaps the only downside of this planned beta for Mortal Kombat 1 is that it won't be taking place across all of the game's various platforms. Despite releasing on nearly every current platform, the beta for MK1 will only be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. This means that PC players, in particular, have been left out in the cold for the time being. It remains to be seen if WB Games reverses course with this decision, but those looking to pre-order MK1 on platforms other than PlayStation and Xbox should be aware of this before doing so. 

In case you didn't catch the announcement already, Mortal Kombat 1 is slated to release later this year on September 19, 2023. When it does hit store shelves, it will be available across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. 

What do you think about Mortal Kombat 1 based on what's been shown off so far? And will you be pre-ordering the game for yourself to take part in this beta phase? Let me know either down in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter at @MooreMan12.